Apparatus for storing and shipping perishable material



H. B. ELLIS Jan. 19, 1965 APPARATUS FOR STORING AND SHIPPNG FERISHABLE MATERIAL Filed May 29. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fri v W Y easiest Y .garantirne non sronnso AND srmrmo ramenant-r. Marsman Herbert E. Eiis, Pasadena, Calif., assigner to Reiiquetier Corporation, New York, FLY., a corporation of New Yori:

Filed May 29, 196i, Ser. No. 113,501 v 2 Claims. {(Il. 62--373) Another object of the invention is to insure such move-V ment of cold gas or cold air within the container so that the lfrozen food or the water lof composition thereof may act effectively-as a refrigerant to cool the fresh food.

Another object of the invention is to vcontrol Vthe rate United Staffe Filemon is Vcloserhliquid nitrogen or some other suitable cold boiling, nondeleterious liquid will be discharged into the :frozen food chamber just below the door through ducts i9 and distributed through oraminous Adistribution grid Zd at approximately atmospheric'pressure and -320 degrees F., thus freezing the food and its water of composition down to a desired temperature far below I zero degrees F. Thus the Water of composition ofthe of heat exchange so that the fresh 4food will not be* chilled below freezing andV will remainA at the desired point by heat exchange with the-frozen food.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specication andclaims. g A f My4 invention is illustrated moreor less diagrammatically .in theaccompanying drawings, wherein FGURE l :is a vertical section; Y FIGURE 2 is a sectionY along the line Z-Zof FIG- URE 1. fr A Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the speciii'cation and drawings. I'ihave illustrated this invention with a shipper container box. It might equally well be a freight car, truck or trailer,rairplane or a marine vessel. The principles involved are identical though the shape may differ.

The shipper container includes an outer shell l, an inner lining 2, an insulation 3, between the top, bottom and sides of the outer shell and inner lining. Access doors will be provided but are not shown in the interest of clarity. Contained within the inner lining, extending upwardly from the floor 4 thereof toward, but terminating below the top is a cage 5.' A plurality of vertically disposed partition walls -7, though they may be omitted, divide the vertical space between the cage 5 and the lining wall 2 into a multiplicity of parallel vertical ues bounded on one side by the heat conductive wall of the cage 5 and on the otherY side by the lining 2. EX- tending inwardly from the vertical walls of the cage 5 about its entire Iperiphery spaced above the floor 4 are flanges 3 which support a plurality lofremovable door planks '9, which planks divide the cage into an upper fresh food storage compartment and a lower lfrozen food storage compartment.

The vertical tlues are open only as at 15 to the frozen food chamber adjacent the bottom thereof and open at their upper ends to communicate with the fresh food chamber. Y

When my shipper container is to be used,' the planks 9 will be removed, the space below the iiange will be filled with a plurality of frozen food packages 13 which may be pre-frozen or not as the case may be. lVhen that area is filled, the planks 9 will be put in place to provide a door and to separate the frozen food chamber below from the fresh food chamber above. Fresh food may be packed above the floor on pallets, if desired, or may y be hung from the roof of the cage 5 by any suitable means not here illustrated.

After the two chambers are loaded and the container frozen food no matter how it is packed, serves as a permanent source of cold. Y i

'vAsV the nitrogen'evaporates, it passcsupv fromv the frozen -food chamber throughV the lues orducts'between the cage andthe wall of the frozen foodV chamber for discharge through the vent 2l which may wellbe closed with a check valve V22 to prevent entrance of air. This ow of gas lwill continue until the desired amountv of liquid nitrogen, that is the amount necessaryto bring the .foodv down to'the desired temperature, has been discharged.v Thereafter the' ducts will be closed and vthe entire assembly is ready for shipment with frozen food "at the bottom, fresh food at the top and an atmosphere largely of gaseous nitrogen, the cold gaseous nitrogen having to alarge extent displaced the air both ip the upper and` lower chambers. K

fter evaporation of liquid nitrogen has stoppedand th ncontainer isA closed, heat continues togenter'through the insulation into `the flue or dues. This causes by thermo-syphori' effect an upward iiow of gas along the 'relatively warm outer Walls of the flues, entraining with it cold airlfrom belowjfrom the frozen food chamber. The cold contents of thewfrozen food chamber starts oif at a temperature such that the "cage wall 5 will beat a lower temperature than the wall 2. "Thg result is a continuous ow of gas upwardly alonggthtw 11 2, dov .l Wardly along wall 5.'VV This ow will con-thin Y 'ust as long as the temperature of the wall 2 is" am temperature of the wall 5. Thus cold gas is drawn up,

fresh ffood chambe'n'there may be and frequently will be some spillage over of gas into the fresh meat chamber but again, sincethe meat is warmer than the cold gas given oft by the yfrozen food, thermo-syphon efect will cause a similar :movement of cold and warm gas, with the cold gas descending along the outer surface of the conducting plate 5 and' ascending through the area 1in which the warm meat is contained.

Experience has taught that food shipped linthis manner can -be `shipped clear across the continent without any additional refrigeration otherrthan the coldV liquid water of composition of the frozen food and the frozen food arrives at below zero degrees F. and the fresh food in .the order of 35 degrees F. Y

The door between the frozen food chamber or zone and the fresh food chamber or zone Ibeing removable and being necessarily removed in the structure shown to make -it possible to insert the frozen -food before the fresh food is loaded, may not be gastight. It does not need to be. Any leakage through the oor, experience teaches will be so slight as not to interfere with the thermo-syphon eifect. Y

The clearance between the container walls 2 and the conducting cage wall 5 whether with or. without the dividing partition 7 defines one or more ducts or flues interposed between the fresh food chamber and the `insulating walls which are exposed on the outside to kEsafoented Jan, lh- 1965 y K The temperature desired for delivery'of the lfoo-d is a 'v variable depending `upon the desire of the customer. Perhaps on the average fresh meat should be delivered at 35 degrees F. Certainly frozen food should be delivered at below zero degrees F. The more liquid nitrogen that is poured in, the lower the temperature of the frozen food. The longer the material is to remain in storage and transit, the lower the temperature desired. Since the insulation characteristic of the container is known and since the conditions of storage and shipment may be predicted, it is a simple enough matter to determine just what temperature is desired as the minimum in order to arrive at destination with the desired temperature. The point `is that no matter what that temperature is, the rate of heat flow or heat exchange between the two chambers is by thermo-syphon effect and the cold air or cold ygas is forced upwardly `by thermo-syphon effect yfrom below where the cold is to above where the relatively warm food is.

I claim:

Y 1. A shipper container including an insulated housing having insulating Walls, means defining a storage chamber within said insulated housing and resting on the bottom Wall of the housing, a horizontal partition dividing the storage chamber into a frozen food chamber below and a fresh food chamber above, said storage chamber dening means being spaced from the yinsulating walls to thereby define vertical fiues between the storage chamber and the insulating walls, said vertical iues` extending continuously from the bottom of the storage chamber to the top thereof alongside the frozen food and freSll food chambers, and including .openings iened in the storage chamber at a point adjacent he -DOOID Wall Of the housing whereby said vertical ues communicate with the frozen food chamber at the' bottom, Said SOI- age Chamber defining meansbeing open at the top for communication with said vertical lues, and wherein the horizontal partition inhibits gas flow between the frozen food and fresh food storage chambers.

2. In a shipper container, having insulated top, bottom and side walls, a cage formed of heat conductive side walls which are vapor impervious resting on the bottom wall and spaced inwardly from the side walls and terminating below the top wall to define a flue space in between extending continuously from the bottom to the top of the cage, a-horizontal flange extending inwardly from the side walls of the cage'and extending about the periphery thereof, a removable oor supported by the flange and dividing the cage into a lower frozen food chamber and an upper fresh food chamber, portsv in the side walls ofthe cage in register with the lower frozen food chamber, said fiue spaceprovidingna free and unobstructed passage for gas, from ther-lower chamber, through the ports, through the ue-space between the cage and the container walls to the top of the fresh food chamber, the floor inhibiting' gas ow directly between the two chambers, and including means for introducing expendable refnigerant liquid into the frozen food chamber. l Y

References Cited in the file of this patent 

1. A SHIPPER CONTAINER INCLUDING AN INSULATE HOUSING HAVING INSULATING WALLS, MEANS DEFINING A STORAGE CHAMBER WITHIN SAID INSULATED HOUSING AND RESTING ON THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE HOUSING, A HORIZONTAL PARTITION DIVIDING THE STORAGE CHAMBER INTO A FROZEN FOOD CHAMBER BELOW AND A FRESH FOOD CHAMBER ABOVE, SAID STORAGE CHAMBER DEFINING MEANS BEING SPACED FROM THE INSULATING WALLS TO THEREBY DEFINE VERTICAL FLUES BETWEEN THE STORAGE CHAMBER AND THE INSULATING WALLS, SAID VERTICAL FLUES EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE STORAGE CHAMBER TO THE TOP THEREOF ALONGSIDE THE FROZEN FOOD AND FRESH FOOD CHAMBERS, AND INCLUDING OPENINGS DEFINED IN THE STORAGE CHAMBER AT A POINT ADJACENT THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE HOUSING WHEREBY SAID VERTICAL FLUES COMMUNICATE WITH THE FROZEN FOOD CHAMBER AT THE BOTTOM, SAID STORAGE CHAMBER DEFINING MEANS BEING OPEN AT THE TOP FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VERTICAL FLUES, AND WHEREIN THE HORIZONTAL PARTITION INHIBITS GAS FLOW BETWEEN THE FROZEN FOOD AND FRESH FOOD STORAGE CHAMBERS. 